I am on a fairly strict no-dairy, no-fat diet now that I've been having issues with my gall bladder. I have had to take several old recipes and take out all of the good stuff and substitute fat-free or very low-fat wherever I can. So when I saw the book, 400 Best-Ever Recipes: Fat Free, Low Fat, by Anne Sheasby, I was SO EXCITED.
There's a problem though. And it seems to be a broken record from nearly ALL of my other cookbook reviews. THE RECIPES ARE TOO FANCY!!! I do NOT keep fennel, sunflower margarine, or ground lemon grass on hand! I do not keep cooking wines around the house, just because I wouldn't use them often enough (and my husband doesn't like the idea of cooking wine... but then again, he doesn't like the idea of using curry, either!). There was one recipe in the beginning of the book that called for THREE red peppers. What kind of a budget would I have to have to make things like are in this book!
Okay, here are the good things. PICTURES. Beautiful PICTURES. I am very visual, and love a good picture. It looks to me like ALL of the dishes have at least one picture taken... and many of them have some in-between-step pictures included.
If I had a larger food budget and a family who were interested in the more "fancy" foods, this book would be an AMAZING find. Unfortunately, we're simple folk who need to reduce our fat intake and this book just isn't for us. If YOU like fancier foods, you might want to take a more in-depth look. I found a couple of soups that I copied down, but maybe you'll find much more. :)
I have the same problem you have with cookbooks. My family won't eat that fancy stuff, and I can't afford it!
ReplyDeleteEmealz has a low fat option. Emealz is a meal planning service that matches up recipes with what's on sale at the grocery store you visit. So, you can pick Wal-Mart and Low Fat, or you can pick Publix & Low Fat, and so on. The recipes are simple and geared for families.